Magicians’ convention more than hocus-pocus

Monday

May 13, 2013 at 11:09 AM

Westley Annis has more experience with magically pulling a quarter from behind someone’s ear than he does with pulling a convention together, but he said he’s satisfied with the way Louisiana Magic Weekend came together in Thibodaux.

Katie UrbaszewskiStaff Writer

Westley Annis has more experience with magically pulling a quarter from behind someone’s ear than he does with pulling a convention together, but he said he’s satisfied with the way Louisiana Magic Weekend came together in Thibodaux.The Thibodaux resident and owner of a digital-data-protection company hosted seminars and shows for about 60 professional and amateur magicians in the city last month. Though the gathering has existed for about 60 years, this was the first time it was held in Thibodaux, and he hopes to bring it back to the city next year.Annis said magic is more of a hobby for him, something he has done since he was a kid. He rarely performs publicly — unless you count the shows he sometimes does at St. Genevieve Catholic School, where his wife teaches, or the demonstrations he’ll incorporate into work presentations.However, he is active in organizations in the state where magicians can connect and learn from each other, and he had attended Louisiana Magic Weekend before. This was his first time organizing the convention.Most of the weekend involved lectures and demonstrations at Nicholls State University from people who make a living performing magic tricks.“It’s for anybody that has a real interest in magic, not somebody that just wants to learn the secrets” he said. “They want to learn how to perform the magic, not necessarily for money. The bulk of the people that showed up were mainly hobbyists.”At the end of the weekend, they put on a public show. “It gives the public a chance to see more down-to-earth magicians and also real, true performing magicians people aren’t going to see any other time,” Annis said.

Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.